​I am a graduate student researcher at the University of Pittsburgh in Dr. Justin Kitzes's lab. I have always been interested in how nature relates to space, and studied geology and astrophysics before transitioning to ecology.

I spent most of my adult life between the climatic extremes of sunny Austin and snowy Erie before returning to my hometown of Pittsburgh. When I'm not doing science, you can find me wood burning, catching a bluegrass show, or almost winning pub trivia.

Mountain laurel — evergreen shrub Kalmia latifolia; the state flower of Pennsylvania

​Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) by Cliff, used under a Creative Commons 2.0 license.